Q’emiln Park well rehab planned in Post Falls
POST FALLS — Two years ago, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality identified issues with the well system at Q’emiln Park that are now being addressed by the city.
Within the well casing, rust is starting to show. The original well at Q’emiln Park was installed in 1975 and is owned by the city and managed by the parks department.
After that assessment by DEQ, a project was broached to investigate the concerns for the future of the Q’emiln well system about 18 months ago, Post Falls parks manager Bryan Myers recently told the City Council.
“They believe this is a result of a cap that was placed over the well when it was installed that didn’t have venting. It caused condensation against the steel casing, and rust formed on that steel casing,” Myers said.
DEQ regulations for public drinking water systems differ from rules for a traditional private residence well.
A concern when first examining the problem area was that the well would have to be relocated. Due to the distance from paved roads and parking areas, moving the Q’emiln well would cause complications based on the park layout.
“Most everywhere is by the river and has potential groundwater influence or stormwater treatment or septic.” Myers said. “We're pretty limited at where we can locate a well at Q’emiln Park, so thankfully, as far as we know, the approach we’re taking now is going to prevent the requirement to reconstruct a well somewhere else.”
The plan is to remove up to 10 feet of that rusted casing and weld a new piece to the casing, according to the latest DEQ information.
Another emerging issue in the analysis of the system shows the foundation for the well house is starting to show some settling cracks. Part of the requirements for wellhouses is they must be protected from flooding. If the wellhouse is cracked and has water intrusion staining, that’s a cause for concern if left unaddressed, Myers said.
A complete operation and maintenance manual was not required in the 1970s when the well was implemented, but the city plans to add those parameters for the future and draft a public drinking water facility master plan for the park.
The current consultation for the project is $62,290. The cost and timeline for the project haven't been determined. It will go out for bid once design work is completed.
Myers said the city will plan the construction schedule to minimize temporary water service impacts to park visitors by staging water shutoff during the winter months, if possible.
Estimated visitation for Q’emiln Park is between 140,000-165,000 annually.
Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson acknowledged the city was fortunate to have the best-case scenario emerge as the needed fix for the well at Q’emiln Park.
The City Council voted unanimously to approve the additional services authorization for the well rehabilitation at Q’emiln Park at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
“I don’t think we have a choice and I think this is a lot better than having to relocate,” Jacobson said.
A corroded well cap at Q'emiln Park has caused the need for a rehabilitation project. The DEQ study of the issue eliminated the possibility of needing to find a replacement well for the site.